1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a new and useful suture retainer package and more particularly to a package for retaining at least one resilient surgical suture in a manner for ready removal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many monofilament surgical sutures possess certain mechanical characteristics such as stiffness and a tendency to be wire-like and resilient. In the past, such sutures have been retained in packages manufactured in such a manner so as to enable the formation of upstanding projections within the package body around which the sutures could be wound in a peripheral storage channel. Examples of this type of package include: U.S. Pat. No. 4,424,898; U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,498; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,902. Retainers wherein a suture may be automatically fed through a notch provided in a partially assembled package, are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,142,628.
These prior art suture retainer packages have not taken advantage of the resiliency of certain suture materials to aid in the loading of the package. Instead, prior art retainers have employed winding projections which may cause sutures to take an undesirable set when loaded into the package body.
It has been found that when a resilient monofilament surgical suture such as, for example, catgut or a similar material, is inserted into a package in a coil configuration the resilient suture will tend to uncoil within the package and expand radially outward so as to conform generally to the shape of the package. In accordance with this principle, it is desired to provide a suture retainer package with an internal cavity or retaining area which does not necessitate the formation of upstanding projections around which sutures must be wound to be loaded into the package. Such a suture retainer package permits a resilient surgical suture to be essentially self-loaded into an unrestricted retaining area.
Stated differently, it is an object of the subject invention to provide a suture retainer package into which a resilient suture coil may be loaded and thereafter caused to uncoil and expand radially outward within the package so as to be retained therein for ready removal.
It is another object of the subject invention to provide a suture retainer package which can be manufactured relatively inexpensively.
It is still another object of the subject invention to provide a suture retainer package for retaining a plurality of resilient surgical sutures.
It is yet another object of the subject invention to provide a suture retainer package which enables a plurality of resilient suture coils each having a needle affixed to one end to be loaded into the package in such a manner to enable ready removal.
It is yet a further object of the subject invention to provide a package for retaining a plurality of resilient surgical suture coils without taking an undesirable set.
It is still a further object of the subject invention to provide a new and useful needle park member which may be employed in the suture retainer package described herein.